TSA locks and/or cable ties for air and cruise? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
For air I have TSA-approved luggage locks for my checked bags. But what about for the cruise portion (security/x-ray check?) Do you keep your TSA locks on and hope for the best? I read on another post about using cable ties instead and keeping wire cutters in the side pocket. Has anyone done this without any problems. Thanks.
The wire cutters themselves would be a problem for DCL. Their list of contraband is different than the TSAs - they don't want passengers to bring tools aboard.
I don't know whether DCL security can open TSA locks, although I suspect they can. I'm quite certain any security organization will have cutters to open cable ties, though. If you decide to use cable ties, pack a toenail clipper - they're usually large enough to clip cable ties.
Each of us has our own threshold of personal security. I've never worried about locking my luggage, and I've also never lost something from my luggage. With today's security consciousness I really doubt any baggage handler would get the opportunity to open a bag and rifle through it without being recorded on closed-circuit TV. The TSA might be more interested in catching someone slipping a bomb into checked luggage than in someone taking something out of luggage, but the effect on theft is probably quite significant.
__________________
Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I have always used cable ties since 9/11. I am not worried about security or people getting into my bag. The locks on a suitcase and the zippers themselves can be snapped with not much effort if someone really wanted to go that route. What has happened to me before is I've had a zipper catch and had a bag open up. Any other cruise lines I've been on if they have offically gone into my bag for a reason, they'll tag it and leave a form of some kind on the inside explaining their actions.
I have only cruised once, but I fly normally at least once a week. After 9/11 I got tired of replacing the locks on my tool bags and luggage that TSA had cut, and gave in and stopped using locks. Like Dave, I've had nothing missing from my luggage... well, other than the bags themselves being lost once or twice!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Thanks for sharing your past experiences--Joe, Lisa and Kenny.
Kenny, Were the cut locks TSA?
I think I might keep a couple of cable ties in my bag just in case! I don't think I could keep my bags unlocked intentionally... out of habit, it just feels weird.
Since TSA are the first people to handle your bags and are, technically, supposed to be around when anyone else opens your bags, TSA approved locks will be fine.
I've never had a problem bringing on small wire cutters. I carry a small assortment of tools for my scuba gear. Since I no longer carry a knife (I now use EMT shears), that's not an issue.
One can also clip most of the small and medium sized zip ties with the toenail sized nail clippers.
Thanks for sharing your past experiences--Joe, Lisa and Kenny.
Kenny, Were the cut locks TSA?
I think I might keep a couple of cable ties in my bag just in case! I don't think I could keep my bags unlocked intentionally... out of habit, it just feels weird.
No. That was right after 9/11 and before the TSA locks, so, I'm sure they will be OK. It was very hard to get used to the idea of not locking my bags... then I finally realized that those luggage locks don't stop anyone from stealing your stuff anyway. I just worry now that they won't be able to get things zipped back up without the zipper coming apart!
When we went to Oz in 2005, I flew in the day before Carol (we made our travel plans at different times and I couldn't get the same flight as her). When I claimed my bags, the zip tie was cut off, so I notified a security officer and HMRA Customs had a casual look see. I guess they figured that if I was inviting them, I probably wasn't trying to smuggle anything in (but crooks have done dumber things ). When we opened it, there was a large piece of paper informing me that my suitcase had been searched by the TSA. Searched? Dumped out and stuffed back in. . Well, several days later I discovered that I was missing one (count 'em, one) sandal. Great.
This was before the TSA locks, but they would still have been a waste because HRMA Transit Security doesn't have the same lock standard.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
). When we opened it, there was a large piece of paper informing me that my suitcase had been searched by the TSA. Searched? Dumped out and stuffed back in. 
. Well, several days later I discovered that I was missing one (count 'em, one) sandal. Great.
Linear Mode
